How to properly store onions in the cellar and is it possible to do so

Onions are a widespread vegetable crop. The vegetable is used throughout the year in the preparation of numerous culinary dishes. Many housewives and summer residents are interested in the question of how to preserve the harvested crop for a long time.

About whether it is possible store onions in the cellar in winter and how to do it correctly, we will tell in the article.

Optimal conditions for storing onions in winter

In order to preserve the vegetable until the onset of the new season, it is necessary to create optimal conditions in the vegetable storage - temperature and humidity suitable for long-term storage.

Important! The main condition for storing onions is the presence of ventilation in the room. With little or no ventilation in humid conditions, the bulbs will rot quickly.

Optimum air humidity is within 75-80%. At higher humidity, the bulbs grow and develop roots. This affects the taste characteristics, table quality of vegetables.

If, at high humidity, the vegetable begins to damp, it is transferred to a dry room and dried, and then returned to the storage.

At low humidity (less than 75%), vegetables begin to dry out.

The storage is kept at a constant temperature of 0 ... + 3 ° C. Onion scales create an additional thermal effect, so a slight decrease in temperature is not scary for vegetables. This applies mainly to spicy varieties. Red, sweet onions do not tolerate low temperatures.

The rise in temperature will cause the onion heads to sprout, causing the onions to rot.

The stored crop is protected from light. Green arrows appear on vegetables when illuminated.

How to prepare onions for storage

A month before the expected harvest, the crop is no longer watered so that the bulbs are not saturated with excess moisture.

Attention! Unripe and overripe bulbs will have a shorter shelf life.

A dry day is chosen for harvesting onions. Harvested in rainy weather, the crop will be subject to premature decay.

It is not recommended to pull the onion out of the ground during harvesting. With a sharp pulling out, the heads can be damaged, which will negatively affect keeping quality.

Carefully dig the onion with a shovel, then clean off the rest of the soil... It is not recommended to throw the heads on a hard surface, in the dented places the fabric is deformed, broken, the head will start to deteriorate.

The harvested crop is laid out in a sunny area or in a dry room for 10-14 days to dry. During this time, moisture collected between the scales will have time to dry.

After drying cut off dry leaves, leaving 5-7 cm of the neck of the bulb.

Before storing, onions are sorted by type and size. Early, sweet varieties of crops are stored less (until February) and are more prone to diseases. Spicy varieties keep their freshness until the new season. Winter onions are stored worse than spring ones.

For storage, healthy, dense bulbs are taken without damage, with a dry tail. Cooked onions are sorted according to size and stored in separate containers.

Rules for storing onions in a cellar or underground in winter

A small amount of onions is well stored in an apartment, but a cellar or basement is needed to store a large amount of crops.A properly created microclimate in the basement will allow you to preserve nutrients and vitamins in vegetables.

Room preparation

A room for winter storage of vegetables needs to be prepared... For this, a thorough cleaning is carried out using disinfectants.

The cellar or basement should be dry, spacious, so that it is possible to spread vegetables freely, and in several layers. When space is limited, shelves are nailed to the walls or racks are installed. The shelves on the shelves are covered with paper, burlap.

Important! If in winter the temperature in the basement drops below the recommended one, the walls of the room are insulated.

The main condition for long-term crop savings is constant ventilation, which will prevent rotting of vegetables.

Neighborhood with other vegetables

It is not recommended to store onions with other vegetables. For storage of most vegetables and fruits, the optimum moisture content is more than 85%. Under these conditions, the bulbs will start to rot.

When stored together with potatoes, the onion is saturated with moisture from the potato tubers, which also leads to spoilage of the onion heads.

Storage of a culture with pumpkin and garlic is allowed, since they have approximately the same storage conditions as onions. In storages with pumpkin the temperature is maintained at + 4… + 10 ° C, humidity 80%, with garlic - from –3 to + 3 ° C, humidity 80%.

Storage periods

If the conditions are met, onions can be stored for 8-9 months. White and red varieties of culture are stored for 3-4 months. Yalta onion - 4-5 months. After the indicated time, the heads will begin to germinate.

Storage methods

For winter storage of culture, several methods are practiced: in wooden containers, cardboard boxes, fabric bags, vegetable nets, bundles.

Regardless of the chosen way vegetables should be checked periodically to remove soft, sprouted, rotting vegetables. This will extend the shelf life of the crop.

Plastic and wooden boxes

The most common storage method for onions is in plastic or wooden boxes. It is advisable that the height of the boxes is no more than 50 cm, since in too high a container the lower layers of vegetables will deteriorate under the weight of the upper ones. The side walls of such containers should have openings for air circulation. Vegetables are poured into a container in several layers and placed on a shelf or on the floor.

There should be space between the bottom of the box and the floor, its absence will lead to the accumulation of moisture in the lower layers. A gap is also left between the side walls of the container and the wall of the room. This will allow air to circulate between the layers of vegetables.

Containers with vegetables are stacked on top of each other, which saves space in the basement.

Attention! Air access is provided from all sides of the container.

Linen bags

Linen bags are used to store onions. It is better to choose small bags so that the onion layer in them does not exceed 30 cm.

Reference. In large cloth bags, the bottom layer of vegetables will quickly deteriorate and rot.

Bags should be made of natural fabric that is breathable. Synthetic fabrics cannot be used for storing vegetables, since synthetics do not allow air to pass through well, as a result of which moisture accumulates in the bags.

The filled bags are placed on the shelves of the shelves or hung from the ceiling, fixed on the horizontal rungs of the basement.

Nylon stockings or tights

Some housewives use nylon tights or stockings to store onion stocks. Such products are distinguished by a porous structure (mesh), air passes through them perfectly, excess moisture comes out.

Vegetables are placed in stockings or panty hoses of 2-3 kg each and hung from the ceiling or on the side walls of shelves, racks at a distance of 25-30 cm from each other. It is recommended to hang the bulbs at a distance of at least 50 cm from the damp walls of the room.

To prevent the spoiling head from infecting the neighboring ones, use isolated storage of each bulb.To do this, a knot is made over each nested head, thus creating a separate bag. This method extends the shelf life of healthy heads, since spoiled specimens can be easily removed from the bunch by cutting off a separate bag with the onion.

Egg containers

Egg containers serve as a suitable storage container for onions. When using cardboard containers, vegetables will not rot, as the paper absorbs moisture well. The disadvantage of this method is that only small and medium sized heads can be stored.

One head is placed in each cell of the container. The filled trays are stacked on top of each other on shelves or racks.

Knits or braids

Bundles - braids woven from onion leaves, the oldest and most reliable method of long-term storage of onion harvest. To make a bundle, the tops are dried so much as to maintain its elasticity. Dry feathers will crumble.

Reference! For the manufacture of braids, a bow of approximately the same size is chosen.

There are two ways to knit braids:

1. A rope or twine is used to fasten the braids. The rope is folded in half, an onion is tied to the middle. Then weave the braid in the usual way, adding 1 head at each grip. The tops are pulled tight to hold the vegetables firmly. 30-35 heads are woven into the braid. A loop is made from the remainder of the rope.
2. In another method, two pairs of bulbs are first tied together. Then take the rope folded in half and tie the bow head to the middle. Tied bulbs are placed between the ends of the rope, alternating them so that each bundle is turned in the opposite direction.

After each bundle, the rope is tied into a knot, fixing the finished section. The ends of the rope are tied.

Onion bundles and plaits are the best way to store onions, as there is free air access to each head. The heads hardly touch each other, which reduces the risk of rotting. In bundles and braids, you can easily notice a perishable onion and cut it off without violating the integrity of the weaving. The bundles can be hung in any free space, while saving space.

How to avoid rotting onions when stored in a cellar

Sometimes, during storage, the bulbs begin to deteriorate and smell unpleasant. This is due to the improperly created indoor climate.

The culture can be affected by diseases:

• cervical rot is a fungal infection, first at the neck, then black dots appear on the surface of the bulb, after which the entire head rots;
• bacterial rot - the bulb rots from the inside, alternating rotten and healthy layers are visible in the cut;
• fusarium - rot of the bottom, a whitish bloom appears at the roots, then the whole vegetable is affected.

The process of rotting can begin as a result of the penetration of the stem nematode larvae, the root mite, into the bulb.

To reduce the likelihood of infection, the bulbs are treated with the biofungicide Fitosporin-M before storage.

For long-term storage grown varieties with a late maturity. Vegetables that were treated with a solution of potassium permanganate before planting and planted taking into account the correct crop rotation have good keeping quality.

Healthy, undamaged specimens with a golden skin are carefully selected for the winter setting. To prevent rotting, the crop is regularly examined, diseased specimens are immediately removed. Maintain the recommended storage temperature and moisture, contain vegetables in a well-ventilated container.

So that the vegetables are not damp, the layers of onions in the container are sprinkled with sawdust or ash - 200 g per 10 kg of crop.

It is not allowed to lay out a large number of vegetables in one container. For storage, do not use plastic bags, as condensation quickly forms in them, leading to decay.

Life hacks for storing onions in the cellar

Some helpful storage tips:

• For better storage and prevention of decay, the bulbs are sprinkled with crushed chalk, which will absorb excess moisture. For 10 kg of vegetables, 250-300 g of chalk are used.
• Containers with lime are placed in several places in the room, since lime absorbs moisture from the air.
• Onion husks are not removed from storage: they are saturated with moisture, this will help keep the crop from overmoistening.
• To prevent the germination of the heads, the lower part of the fruit is coated with clay and dried well.
• Wicker baskets are suitable as containers - they allow air to pass well even through large layers of vegetables. Onions are well stored in vegetable nets - each vegetable is visible in them.

Conclusion

The cellar is considered the best place to store the onion crop. In it, you can create the necessary microclimate to preserve the bulbs throughout the winter. The conditions of the cellar allow you to store vegetables in wooden or plastic containers, linen bags, on shelves or in a suspended form.

The main thing is to choose the right variety that will retain its qualities for a long time under suitable conditions.